Saint Lucia Online Business Education. Administration. Economy. Politics. Culture. Religion. Media

Saint Lucia
Online Business Education. Economy. Politics. Culture. Religion. Media

Capital City: Castries

Internet Links

Introduction

Saint Lucia

Background: The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries, was
contested between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th
centuries (changing possession 14 times); it was finally ceded to the
UK in 1814. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979.

Geography Saint Lucia

Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic
Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates: 13 53 N, 60 68 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 616 sq km water: 10 sq km land: 606 sq km

Area - comparative: 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 158 km

Maritime claims:   12 NM exclusive economic zone: Climate: tropical,
moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from January to April,
rainy season from May to August

Terrain: volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point:
Mount Gimie 950 m

Natural resources: forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral
springs, geothermal potential

Land use: arable land: 5% permanent crops: 23% other: 72% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 30 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: hurricanes and volcanic activity

Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion, particularly
in the northern region

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol

Geography - note: the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton),
striking cone-shaped peaks south of Soufriere, are one of the scenic
natural highlights of the Caribbean

People Saint Lucia

Population: 160,145 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 31.6% (male 25,879; female 24,695) 15-64
years: 63.1% (male 49,667; female 51,482) 65 years and over: 5.3%
(male 3,134; female 5,288) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.24% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 21.37 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 5.3 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -3.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.59 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 14.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:   76.64 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 2.34 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality: noun: Saint Lucian(s) adjective: Saint Lucian

Ethnic groups: black 90%, mixed 6%, East Indian 3%, white 1%

Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 7%, Anglican 3%

Languages: English (official), French patois

Literacy:   age 15 and over has ever attended school total population:
Government Saint Lucia

Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form:
Saint Lucia

Government type: Westminster-style parliamentary democracy

Capital: Castries

Administrative divisions: 11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul,
Dauphin, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere,
Vieux-Fort

Independence: 22 February 1979 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 22 February (1979)

Constitution: 22 February 1979

Legal system: based on English common law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
1952), represented by Governor General Dr. Perlette LOUISY (since
September 1997) elections: monarch; following legislative elections,
the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition
is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime
minister head of government: Prime Minister Kenneth ANTHONY (since 24
May 1997) and Deputy Prime Minister Mario MICHEL (since 24 May 1997)

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11
seats; six members appointed on the advice of the prime minister,
three on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and two after
consultation with religious, economic, and social groups) and the
House of Assembly (17 seats; members are elected by popular vote from
single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms) election results:
House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - SLP 55%, UWP 37%, NA 3.5%;
seats by party - SLP 14, UWP 3 elections: House of Assembly - last held
3 December 2001 (next to be held NA December 2006)

Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (jurisdiction extends
to Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica,
Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines)

Political parties and leaders: National Alliance or NA [George ODLUM];
Saint Lucia Freedom Party or SFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]; Saint Lucia
Labor Party or SLP [Kenneth ANTHONY]; Sou Tout Apwe Fete Fini or STAFF
[Christopher HUNTE]; United Workers Party or UWP [Dr. Morella JOSEPH]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB,
ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL,
OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Sonia Merlyn JOHNNY chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795 FAX: [1] (202)
364-6728 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy
in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador in Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia

Flag description: blue, with a gold isosceles triangle below a black
arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border

Economy Saint Lucia

Economy - overview: The recent changes in the EU import preference
regime and the increased competition from Latin American bananas
have made economic diversification increasingly important in Saint
Lucia. The island nation has been able to attract foreign business and
investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries. The
manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area,
and the government is trying to revitalize the banana industry. Despite
negative growth in 2001, economic fundamentals remain solid, and GDP
growth should recover in 2002.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $700 million (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: -2.5% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,400 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7.9% industry: 19.6% services:
72.5% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 43,800

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 43.4%, services 38.9%, industry
and commerce 17.7% (1983 est.)

Unemployment rate: 15% (1996 est.)

Budget: revenues: $141.2 million expenditures: $146.7 million, including
capital expenditures of $25.1 million (FY97/98 est.)

Industries: clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages,
corrugated cardboard boxes, tourism, lime processing, coconut processing

Industrial production growth rate: -8.9% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production: 115 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0%
(2000) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 106.95 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root
crops, cocoa

Exports: $68.3 million (2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits,
coconut oil

Exports - partners: UK 50%, US 24%, Caricom countries 16% (1995)

Imports: $319.4 million (2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and
transportation equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels

Imports - partners: US 36%, Caricom countries 22%, UK 11%, Japan 5%,
Canada 4% (1995)

Debt - external: $214 million (2000)

Economic aid - recipient: $51.8 million (1995)

Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code: XCD

Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed
rate since 1976)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Communications Saint Lucia

Telephones - main lines in use: 37,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,600 (1997)

Telephone system: general assessment: adequate system domestic: system
is automatically switched international: direct microwave radio relay
link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric
scatter to Barbados; international calls beyond these countries are
carried by Intelsat from Martinique

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 7 (plus 3 repeaters), shortwave 0
(1998)

Radios: 111,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 3 (of which two are commercial stations
and one is a community antenna television or CATV channel) (1997)

Televisions: 32,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .lc

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 15 (2000)

Internet users: 5,000 (2000)

Transportation Saint Lucia

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 1,210 km paved: 63 km unpaved: 1,147 km (1996)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Castries, Vieux Fort

Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)

Airports: 2 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to
2,437 m: 1 (2001)

Military Saint Lucia

Military branches: Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special
Service Unit and Coast Guard)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: $NA

Transnational Issues Saint Lucia

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: transit point for South American drugs destined for the
US and Europe

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002